Chapter 715

I don't want to cause trouble for anyone.

Yu Nian helping me is a favor; if she doesn't help me, I also don't want to implicate her.

"Wanwan, your soul body has been weakening; if you leave the ferry boat now, you will soon be devoured by the filthy things in the Wangchuan River; even if you luckily reach that water area, those blue hawks won't let you go, think it over."

Yu Nian still wanted to persuade me.

I smiled and said, "Sister Yu Nian, you also said that the karma upon me can only be gradually diluted through lifetime after lifetime of reincarnation; you can ferry me for one life, but what about the next? And the one after that? Only a thief can work a thousand days; who can guard against thieves for a thousand days?"

Evading won't solve the problem; I'd rather let the problem erupt and be completely resolved in this life, even if I turn to ashes, I have no regrets.

I turned my head and gazed toward the Chenghuang Temple.

There, at the place bordering the Wangchuan River, stood a mass of dark yin soldiers.

These yin soldiers were not always stationed there; they appeared only after I boarded the ferry boat.

In other words, even before Yu Nian went to the pawnshop, she had already discussed countermeasures with the Chenghuang deity.

These yin soldiers were allocated by the Chenghuang deity for Yu Nian's use.

If it were merely a simple ferry, why go to such lengths?

So, in fact, Yu Nian did not have full confidence when she decided to ferry me across the Wangchuan River into reincarnation.

Yu Nian followed my gaze, sighed, and said, "Wanwan, you are too rational; despite all of us urging and guiding you, we still couldn't sway your decision."

Yes, I don't have absolute certainty that I can successfully ferry you into reincarnation; during this process, the other side will surely try every means to block us, and those yin soldiers are borrowed from Wang Fuchen, so they can aid me at the critical moment.

But the premise is that I must ensure you remain on the ferry boat, and the ferry boat stays within the Wangchuan River waters; once we enter that water area, whether the yin soldiers continue to act depends on the situation.

I didn't understand: "Isn't that water area also part of the Wangchuan River?"

"No." Yu Nian explained, "That water area lies between the Nether Realm and the Feng Clan, a middle zone separating the two realms; it belongs to neither side, but if either side intrudes into that area, it is a declaration of war against the other."

I nodded, I understood.

Xiao Jiu is a Nirvana Phoenix, Shan Shan is the new Feng Clan chief, plus Tang Xun's relationship with the Seven Halls Yama, leading us subconsciously to feel that the Nether Realm and the Feng Clan have a very friendly relationship.

So good that there is no distinction between us.

Yet stepping out of these intimate relations and viewing the whole picture, we will horrifiedly discover how wildly mistaken we are.

The Nether Realm is too vast, and its relationships are also extremely complex.

From Hou Tu Niangniang to Dongyue Dadi, from the Five Direction Ghost Emperors to the Ten Halls Yama, each department cooperates and restrains each other; in some aspects they are independent operating systems.

The departments we have contacted are merely the tip of the iceberg.

Those on good terms with the Feng Clan are only the Seven Halls Yama and the Chenghuang Temple.

"The area where the Nether Realm borders the Feng Clan is not just that water area, but… you may not fully understand the Feng Clan's current territory; in fact, it originally should have been far larger than it is now."

Yu Nian said this tactfully.

Put simply, aside from this water area, the land where the Nether Realm and the Feng Clan meet that could be invaded has already been completely taken over.

Therefore, once those yin soldiers cross the border, the Feng Clan will spare no expense to defend its territory.

And once someone starts this, the ensuing events will be beyond our control.

I was shocked in my heart, yet even more relieved about my final decision: "Fortunately we didn't cause a major disaster, Sister Yu Nian, just do as I said—place me at the junction of the Wangchuan River and that water area; from now on I will walk my own path."

"Wanwan, do you think Wang Fuchen lent the yin soldiers to me just out of favor for me?" Yu Nian suddenly asked.

I recalled the scene of you two being affectionate together; the Chenghuang deity seemed entirely capable of acting in a fit of rage for a beauty.

So I affirmed: "The Chenghuang deity is certainly doing it for your sake."

Yu Nian said: "He hasn't become so muddle-headed; he lent the yin soldiers to me because we discovered that Zhao Zixun's war soul falling incident is also a lingering matter of the Nether Realm; once it erupts, the Nether Realm will inevitably be involved, Wang Fuchen cannot be the one to stick his neck out, yet he cannot stand idly by."

Therefore, he lent the yin soldiers to Yu Nian, and they help us only within the Wangchuan River waters.

When we truly reach that critical point, the yin soldiers will remain directly at the border.

Having said this, the topic was turned back to the beginning.

I originally had no intention of digging to the root, but by now Yu Nian's mindset has changed; if I ask again now, she will surely be willing to tell me the results of her investigation.

I then seized the opportunity: "Sister Yu Nian, what exactly did you find in that special department of the Chenghuang Temple?"

"This matter is full of loopholes everywhere." Yu Nian said, "The other party is not only highly skilled but also extraordinarily lucky; when she committed these wicked deeds, it just happened to be during the period when the Chenghuang Temple was selecting a suitable successor for the Chenghuang deity, so all the filthy affairs could possibly be covered up by means."

I nodded, sat beside Yu Nian at the bow, and listened to her speak slowly.

"I also conducted a thorough investigation and analysis with Wang Fuchen, found a breakthrough, then followed the clues, pulled out a thread, and finally figured out the whole matter."

"You guessed that person might be one of your ancestors… is that right?"

"That person's surname is Zhan, named Zhan Jiao'e, a person from the late Tang Dynasty, born into a poor family; her father was a gambler, often drunk, and after losing he would come back to beat people; Zhan Jiao'e's mother was beaten to death by him, and Zhan Jiao'e has an older sister and a younger sister."

"After her mother was beaten to death, the three sisters depended on each other; when her father again lost everything, he pledged Zhan Jiao'e at the gambling table..."

I frowned: "An unfortunate birth leads to an unfortunate life."

"No, that's for those who submit passively, but Zhan Jiao'e does not resign herself to fate." Yu Nian continued, "Zhan Jiao'e's older sister is only two years older than her, while the younger sister is very small, only four years old at the time; the elder sister had to look after the younger, do housework, and also find time to do needlework, taking it outside to sell, to make a living."

"The elder sister was too busy, but Zhan Jiao'e is different; she is lively, always watching her father's movements, and as soon as she senses she might be beaten, she quickly hides; thus among the three sisters, only Zhan Jiao'e suffers the least beating."

"It is precisely because of this that when her father pledged her at the gambling table, she received the news early, and her first reaction was to flee."

My curiosity was instantly aroused: "In that era, could she have escaped?"